GB2331010A

GB2331010A - Strip for installed floor covering

Info

Publication number: GB2331010A
Application number: GB9823162A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Peter Alexander Jennings
Original assignee: Aco Technologies PLC
Current assignee: Aco Technologies PLC
Priority date: 1997-11-10
Filing date: 1998-10-22
Publication date: 1999-05-12
Anticipated expiration: 2018-10-22
Also published as: GB9823162D0; GB2331010B

Abstract

A strip (2) has a groove (8) running along its length adjacent an upstanding member (4). A sealing member (10) of weldable PVC material is provided so that it engages within the groove (8). In the installation process the member (4) is push-fitted into a recess (14) at the edge of a drainage channel. The sealing member (10) is then pushed into the groove opposite the channel to force its opposite edge into butting engagement with the channel. Engagement of the sealing member is provided by means of a slot in the sealing member which hooks over a projection (22) at the mouth of the groove to hold the sealing member in position. A floor covering (7) is then placed over the strip and fused to the sealing member.

Description

STRIP FOR INSTALLING FLOOR COVERING The present invention relates to the installation of drainage systems within floor surfaces having a vinyl floor covering. Metal drainage channels are frequently let into floors of kitchens, abattoirs and other areas where efficient surface drainage is required. It is necessary to create a neat, smooth and sealed surface between the metal drainage channel and the edge of the vinyl floor. The vinyl floor must be held down as curling surfaces can present a safety risk. Further, there should be no unsightly grooves, which can also trap dirt.

Another requirement is that the system should be easy and economical to install and work with standard profiles of drainage channel.

In one prior art method of securing an edge of a sheet material floor covering to a drainage channel as described in UK patent application GB-A-2 263 233 uses an attachment element which is clamped by means of a bolt to an edge of a drainage channel. This requires a complex fitting as well as a separate sealing stage to fill the gap left between the free edge of the floor covering and the drainage channel.

GB-A-2 315 411 which was published on 4 February 1998, after the priority date of the application this application takes priority from, discloses a rigid PVC strip providing an upstanding member adapted to push fit into a downwardly facing recess of a drainage channel.

The upper surface of the strip requires a loose bead of flexible PVC so that it can be fused to the edge of a vinyl floor covering. In some cases additional sealant is required to seal the bead to the drainage channel.

In order to overcome the technical problem of on site installation of these prior art drainage installation strips, the present invention proposes a sealing member that engages with the strip, so as to minimise or obviate the need for additional sealant and so that the sealing member is supported in optimum position during installation.

The present invention accordingly provides an elongate strip which defines along one edge, an upstanding member adapted to engage by push-fitting within a recess defined along an edge of a drainage channel, a groove defined adjacent said member to receive a downwardly projecting flange of the drainage channel, and a sealing member engageable with a wall of the groove, and made of material which is capable of being fused or welded to an edge of a vinyl floor surface, said sealing member being shaped to close an open mouth of the groove and come into engagement with the flange in use.

Preferably the sealing member is located in the mouth of the groove by engagement of a projection extending into the groove with the sealing member shaped to engage said projection. This allows a smaller sealing member to be used as it is not required to fill all of the space within the groove but is held adjacent the mouth. This smaller sealing member can easily be stored inside the groove and if desired the mouth of the groove closed with a protective tape for storage.

In an alternative embodiment, the sealing member is moulded integrally with the strip on a flexible retaining strip so that it is to hand for installation. This ensures that a sealing member of the appropriate length is always available to the installer. Since all the fitting is simple, no specialist tools are needed and the installation can be completed readily on site.

The length of the flexible retaining strip is sufficient to allow the sealing member to be extracted from the groove. This allows the sealing member to be removed from the groove during installation so as to prevent said sealing member becoming damaged.

The height of the sealing member is preferably the same as or greater than the height of the vinyl flooring to which it is welded to seal both against the drainage channel and the floor covering making for a very efficient fitting.

Any excess material of the sealing member can be cut away with tools readily available to vinyl flooring installers to ensure a smooth finish. Alternatively any gap between the edge of the sealing member and an upper surface of the flooring can be smoothly sealed during a welding step.

In order that the invention may be well understood an embodiment thereof will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying diagrammatic drawings, in which: Figure 1 shows a perspective view of the strip of the present invention in its installed position; Figure 2 shows a longitudinal section of the strip before installation; Figure 3 shows a series of sections through the installed strip with flooring of increasing thickness; and Figure 4 shows a longitudinal section of an alternative embodiment of the strip before installation.

The strip 2 is formed with a generally rectangular cross section. The strip has an upstanding member 4 along one edge that is separated from a remainder of an upper surface 6 ty a relatively wide open mouthed groove 8.

Excess material of the strip is cut away along the lower edge opposite the upstanding member 4 in order to avoid excess weight-. The sloping wall also allows the strip to key with a concrete haunch 26 in which a drainage channel is fitted and on which a floor is laid. A lower surface 12 of the strip may also be serrated in order to allow a good key with the concrete.

The strip 2 is intended to be fitted to a fabricated metal drainage channel of standard design that has a downwardly facing recess 14 formed along its edge. The recess is formed from the edge of the channel that is turned back on itself and terminates in a downwardly depending flange 16.

The member 4 is moulded with integral projecting nibs 18, 20 which form a seal and grip the recess when the member 4 is push-fitted into the downwardly facing open recess 14 of a drainage channel. By making these nibs downwardly facing they resist upward movement and provide a seal against ingress of water.

A projection 22 is formed out of the material of the strip 2 adjacent the open mouth of the groove 8 and in the wall facing the upstanding member 4. The projection extends across a relatively small proportion of the width of the groove mouth.

The upper surface 6 of the strip supports the vinyl flooring 7 in use and may be serrated to provide additional grip. A protective tape may be applied over the upper surface pf the strip. This may extend over the mouth of the groove 8.

Longitudinal bores 24 can extend through the body of the strip along its entire length in order to minimise its weight.

A flexible PVC sealing member 10 extends in use along the whole length of the strip and is of a material which is capable of being fused or welded directly to an edge of the vinyl flooring. On the side of the sealing member which faces the member 4 the sealing member is shown as having a concave shape and may be formed with double lips (not shown) at the top edge. On the other side of the sealing member a slot 25 is formed in order to allow the sealing member 10 to be engaged on the projection 22.

The height of the sealing member 10 above the slot 25 is substantially the same as the maximum height of the vinyl flooring.

During the installation process, any protective tape over the upper surface is removed. Suitable lengths of the strip are push-fitted into the open recess 14 at the edges of the drainage channel. The nibs 18, 20 hold the upstanding member 4 of the strip securely in position as the drainage channel is installed in the floor in a concrete haunch 26 in a conventional manner.

The sealing member 10 is then pushed back into the groove and hooked over the projection 22 so that the projection 22 enters the slot 25 holding the sealing member in position. In this position the opposite edge of the sealing member is compressed against the flange 16 forming a good seal.

An edge 28 of vinyl flooring 7 is then butted up against the sealing member 10 over the top surface 6 of the strip.

A heating system is used to fuse or weld the edge of the floor to the sealing member 10. An industry standard heat gun using PVC filler rods as a welding medium easily and effectively performs this function and gives a watertight seal between the strip and the edge 28 of the vinyl flooring.

Vinyl flooring 7 comes in various thicknesses depending on the application. Typically a range of 2-4mm is commercially available. This strip can be used with any thickness of flooring. Where the height of the sealing member 10 above the slot 25 is greater than the thickness of the flooring 7 the excess can be pared away using a knife tool of the type employed to cut the vinyl flooring.

If the flooring is of greater thickness than the sealing member the gap can be filled during the welding process.

For very thick flooring the upper surface of the sealing member may slope downwardly to the edge of the channel to form a smooth level transition without any step. These adaptations of the appearance of the joint to varying flooring thicknesses are illustrated in Figure 3.

This completes the installation process. The skill level required is minimal. The possibility of damage to the seal is reduced by the large gap into which the flange 16 is to be inserted. The use of the sealing member also allows compensation for channel manufacturing tolerances.

The sealing member also provides controlled compression of the lip seal of the sealing member 10 against the channel.

The described strip can easily be cut to appropriate channel lengths and simply pressed in place into the channel flange profile on site by the contractor.

A suitabl-e.-rigid polymer for the strip is rigid PVC-u.

Flexible PVC-u may be used for the sealing member 10 and retaining strip.

In an alternative embodiment, the strip 2 is extruded in one operation from both rigid PVC or other suitable polymer and flexible PVC which is used to form the more flexible members as described below.

A flexible PVC sealing member 10 is extruded with the strip and remains permanently bonded to the strip 2 in the base of the groove 8 by means of a laminar flexible retaining strip 23. The sealing member and strip extend along the whole length of the strip. The strip can merge with the base of the groove preferably at an internal edge with a side wall of the groove. Alternative root positions for the strip 23 may be used depending on the design of the extrusion tool. The length of the retaining strip 23 is such that the sealing member is suspended loosely in the groove 8 but can be extracted from the groove for easier manipulation during the installation process.

By forming the sealing member integrally with the strip the installer is assured of having the appropriate length of sealing member to hand when required. The component cost of the sealing member is then minimal as it can be formed by extrusion at the same time as the main body of the strip 2.

Claims

CLAIMS 1. An elongate strip (2) which defines along one edge, an upstanding member (4) adapted to engage by push-fitting within a recess (14) defined along an edge of a drainage channel, a groove (8) defined adjacent said member (4) to receive a downwardly projecting flange (16) of the drainage channel, and a sealing member (10) engageable with a wall of the groove (8), and made of material which is capable of being fused or welded to an edge of a vinyl floor surface, said sealing member being shaped to close an open mouth of the groove and come into engagement with the flange (16) in use.
2. A strip as claimed in claim 1, wherein engagement is provided by a projection (22) extending into the groove (8) and the sealing member is shaped to engage said projection.
3. A strip as claimed in claim 2, wherein the projection engaging shaping in the sealing member is a slot (25).
4. A strip as claimed in claim 2 or 3, wherein the projection (22) is formed adjacent the open mouth of the groove.
5. A strip as claimed in claim 2, 3 or 4, wherein the height of the sealing member above the projection engaging shaping is at least equal to the maximum thickness of vinyl flooring.
6. A strip as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein the sealing member (10) is moulded integrally with the strip (2) on a flexible retaining strip (23).
7. A strip as claimed in claim 6, wherein the length of the retaining strip (23) is sufficient to allow the sealing member to be extracted from the groove.
8. A strip as claimed in claim 6 or 7, wherein the retaining strip (23) is anchored to a base of the groove (8).
9. A strip as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein at least one side of the upstanding member (4) is provided with nibs (18, 20) to engage against internal walls of the recess.
10. A strip substantially as herein described with reference to Figures 1 to 3 or Figure 4 of the accompanying diagrammatic drawings.

10. A strip substantially as herein described with reference to Figures 1 to 3 or Figure 4 of the accompanying diagrammatic drawings.

Amendments to the claims have been filed as follows CLAIM8 1. An elongate strip (2) which defines along one edge, an upstanding member (4) adapted to engage by push-fitting within a recess (14) defined along an edge of a drainage channel, a groove (8) defined adjacent said member (4) to receive a downwardly projecting flange (16) of the drainage channel, and a sealing member (10) which comes into mechanical interlocking engagement with a wall of the groove (3), and made of material which is capable of being fused or welded to an edge of a vinyl floor surface, said sealing member being shaped to close an open mouth of the groove and come into engagement with the flange (16) in use.

2. A strip as claimed in claim 1, wherein mechanical interlocking engagement is provided by a projection (22) extending into the groove (8) and the sealing member is shaped to engage said projection.

3. A strip as claimed in claim 2, wherein the projection engaging shaping in the sealing member is a slot (25).

4. A strip as claimed in claim 2 or 3, wherein the projection (22) is formed adjacent the open mouth of the groove.

5. A strip as claimed in claim 2, 3 or 4, wherein the height of the sealing member above the projection engaging shaping is at least equal to the maximum thickness of vinyl flooring.

6. A strip as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein the sealing member (10) is moulded integrally with the strip (2) on a flexible retaining strip (23).

7. A strip as claimed in claim 6, wherein the length of the retaining strip (23) is sufficient to allow the sealing meber to be extracted from the groove.

8. A strip as claimed in claim 6 or 7, wherein the retaining strip (23) is anchored to a base of the groove (e).

9. A strip as claimed in any one of the preceding g claims wherein at least one side of the upstanding member (4) is provided with nibs (18, 20) to engage against internal walls of the recess.